Becca Anderson - The crafty gardener : inspired ideas and DIY crafts from your own backyard

The Crafty
Gardener

The Crafty
Gardener

Inspired Ideas and DIY Crafts
from Your Own Backyard

by Becca Anderson

Man go Publishing
Coral Gables

Copyright 2019 Becca Anderson

Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Morgane Leoni
Layout & Design: Morgane Leoni

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The Crafty Gardener: Inspired Ideas and DIY Crafts from Your Own Backyard

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019938541
ISB N: (print) 978-1-63353-870-2, (ebook) 978-1-63353-871-9
BISAC GAR018000, GARDENING / Reference

Printed in the United States of America

This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
(health, alternative healing)

If you want to be happy for an hour,
have a party.
If you want to be happy for a week,
kill your pig and eat it.
But if you want to be happy all your life,
become a gardener.

Chinese proverb

Contents

The lesson I have thoroughly learnt,
and wish to pass on to others,
is to know the enduring happiness that
the love of a garden gives.

Gertrude Jekyll

L awns are very high-maintenance and, unless constantly mowed and manicured, can greatly reduce your curb appeal. Besides wasting water and taking up a lot of time, grass in your yard doesnt offer you anything back for all the demands on your time and pocketbook. Lawns also tempt many lawn keepers to use chemicals which are bad for all of us, especially the birds and the bees. Get creative and go at least a little wild. My next-door neighbors overturned and tilled their front lawn and planted potatoes, beets, asparagus, and squash. They love going into the front yard and harvesting fresh veggies for their daily meals. The squash and pumpkins actually have beautiful foliage, and the flowers are stunning and edible as well. Last year, one of their crops grew to Giant Pumpkin size and became the talk of the neighborhood as we watched it grow and grow. Needless to say, they had the best jack-o-lantern on the block and some fantastic pies to boot. I am heartened to see the new gardening philosophy of growing veggies, roots stocks, herbs, and berries right beside the roses and lilies. It is gorgeous and supports the bee populations to whom we owe so much.

Gardening, even if it is a hanging basket of cherry tomatoes and a windowsill filled with herb pots, is a much more human way to live, grounded in nature and connected to Mother Earth who provides all. It will definitely add pleasure to your life, and a sense of calm. When I feel stressed, I go out back and do some weeding. It is my therapy, and I can immediately see the profit of my labors. I intend the same for you. With your garden, you are quite literally growing a bounty of blessings.

And so you will find The Crafty Gardener arranged seasonally to help us connect to the rhythms and cycles of natural life. The pleasures of each season are quite different. Spring, the season of new beginnings, is a very active time in the garden for pruning, preparing the soil, and starting seedlings. Summer is the time to really enjoy your garden, to crank up the barbeque, to sit outside on balmy evenings, to invite friends for candlelit dinners on the patio, to enjoy the myriad perfumes your garden gives off; the summer garden is the place to relax and entertain. Fall pleasures are those of a more subtle varietythe harvesting of all your labors, the crisp tang in the air, and the sense of winding down. Winter is fantasy timethe time to hibernate inside, to plan for next year. In each season, garden enjoyments are not restricted to the garden itself. Each season offers a chance to bring the garden indoors. I hope this book inspires you to savor each precious moment and to find new delight in the simple, earthy pleasures that gardeni ng can bring.

Spring shows
what God can do
with a drab and dirty world.

Virgil A. Kraft

In the Garden

In the dooryard, an old farm-house
near the white washd palings,
Stands the lilac-bush tall frowning
with heart-shaped leaves of rich green
With many a pointed blossom ringing delicate,
with the perfume strong I love
With every leaf a miracle

Walt Whitman

Growing Joy: Herbs and Veggies

I have lived in homes where my only gardening options were containers on a deck or planters on the front stoop. This taught me you can do a lot with seed packets, pots, and an open mind. When selecting space for your kitchen garden, you can have something as simple as a set of containers; this can be planned as with any other garden space. If you are lucky enough to have a backyard or land, I suggest you begin the designing process by incorporating all the plants you know you want to use in your magical workings and your cookery, and always allow yourself to experiment. Trying new veggies or seeds can be enormously rewarding. I agree with Londoner Alys Fowler, who is one of Englands top gardeners. She says there is no earthly reason why roses and cabbages cant go side by side and veggies can nicely nestle in among florals. Once you have tried a few such painterly plantings, you can give yourself a free hand in your creati ve approach.

The Art of the Kitchen Garden

What veggies do you love? What are your favorite salad greens? The first rule is to plant what you will actually eat and feel proud to serve to guests. Take your book of shadows and list your preferred herbs, greens, vegetables (including root vegetables), fruits, and herbs. Now, strike out anything you can buy really cheaplyno sense in using valuable space for something easily available at a lower price than the cost of growing it. Another caution: check out your soil type. Carrots need deep, rich soil to grow well. If your lot has shallow and sandy soil, cross carrots off your list and look to surface crops like potatoes and b eets instead.

Here are the vegetables anyone can grow, from beginners to pros with their own greenhouses: